11/10/2025
Did you know, that the part of a dogās brain dedicated to processing smells is about 40 times larger than the comparable part of the human brain?
This is why sniffing is so important when working with dogs, as unlike physical exercise alone, it encourages them to exercise their brains, decompress and relax.
Today, my main focus with Minnie the border collie was getting her working dog brain to slow down and relax enough to be able to listen and walk calmly on lead.
As you can see in the second video, Minnie started her Walk nā Train session today with a lot of separation anxiety and frustration - she didnāt understand why we werenāt going the way she wanted, and why we were leaving her dad behind! She refused to take treats or engage in any play other than frustratedly barking at me.
As such, most of our walk was spent ādecompressingā - that meant lots of sniffing and asking her to use her nose and brain to find treats that I had hidden in the long grass. There was lots of praise when her nose dropped to the ground to investigate, as you can see she visibly relaxes! At the end of our walk her whole demeanour was visibly different, and she was listening intently and working for praise and treats.
